Berlin Wollankstraße railway station
Encyclopedia
Berlin Wollankstraße is a railway station in the Pankow
district of Berlin
, Germany
. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn
and several local buses.
. In 1893 it received the name Pankow (Nordbahn), while the former Pankow railway station was called Pankow-Schönhausen. The Nordbahn line was connected to the S-Bahn system on June 5, 1925 and the station was renamed Wollankstraße on October 3, 1937.
After World War II
the train service was resumed on July 19, 1945. From 1949 the station was situated next to the border between East
and West Berlin
, on the east side, in Berlin's Pankow district. In 1961 the Berlin Wall
was built just to the east of the station. The station remained in service within the West Berlin S-Bahn system, and could only be reached by passengers from the adjacent West Berlin borough of Wedding
. The entrances to the east remained bricked up until 1989
. Nevertheless, during this period, the station was staffed and controlled by East German railway officials, and while the West Berlin S-Bahn trains were passing between Wollankstrasse station and Friedrichstrasse station, they were driven by an East German State railway driver who returned home to East Berlin every day. This was at a time when only the select few were allowed to exit East Germany. Friedrichstrasse station was situated inside East Berlin, but the West Berlin S-Bahn service operating from that station was not accessible to East Berliners.
Pankow
Pankow is the third borough of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow.- Overview :...
district of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
and several local buses.
History
The station opened as Bahnhof Prinzenallee on July 10, 1877 at the Nordbahn railway line from Berlin to NeubrandenburgNeubrandenburg
Neubrandenburg is a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, on the shore of a lake called the Tollensesee ....
. In 1893 it received the name Pankow (Nordbahn), while the former Pankow railway station was called Pankow-Schönhausen. The Nordbahn line was connected to the S-Bahn system on June 5, 1925 and the station was renamed Wollankstraße on October 3, 1937.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the train service was resumed on July 19, 1945. From 1949 the station was situated next to the border between East
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
and West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, on the east side, in Berlin's Pankow district. In 1961 the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
was built just to the east of the station. The station remained in service within the West Berlin S-Bahn system, and could only be reached by passengers from the adjacent West Berlin borough of Wedding
Wedding (Berlin)
Wedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
. The entrances to the east remained bricked up until 1989
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
. Nevertheless, during this period, the station was staffed and controlled by East German railway officials, and while the West Berlin S-Bahn trains were passing between Wollankstrasse station and Friedrichstrasse station, they were driven by an East German State railway driver who returned home to East Berlin every day. This was at a time when only the select few were allowed to exit East Germany. Friedrichstrasse station was situated inside East Berlin, but the West Berlin S-Bahn service operating from that station was not accessible to East Berliners.